A plant-based diet can be an excellent way to reduce your risk of heart disease and many cancers. The vegan diet has been proven to reduce the plaque within the coronary arteries in those who have already developed heart disease. Avoiding animal sources of protein also an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint and to be kinder to animals. Regardless of your personal philosophy, a plant-based diet is a healthy option.
Some choose to avoid all animal sources of food & clothing [vegan] or food only [vegetarian], while others rely on eggs and dairy products for additional protein and convenience [lacto-ovo vegetarians], some include seafood as a source of protein [pescatarian] and others choose to eat the occasional animal proteins when alternatives are unavailable, on special holidays or weekends [flexitarian]. Many people have implemented Meatless Mondays into their households as a way to reduce their intake of animal proteins. Whatever you decide, avoiding even some animal proteins is a step toward a healthier lifestyle and helps our planet.
If you are avoiding all animal products, there are a few supplements you will need to consider, including B-12 [a bacterial by-product that animal proteins contain and vegetables do not], iron [found in abundance in plant foods, but not as well absorbed as the iron from animal proteins], and calcium [available in plants and fortified nut milks].
Many people worry about getting enough protein when they give up eating meat. This worry is quite unnecessary, as it is easy to obtain enough protein from a plant-based diet. Additionally, contrary to previous recommendations, your protein can be obtained throughout the day over several meals, rather than worrying about combining foods that together provide the nine essential amino acids that we cannot produce for ourselves. The amino acid that you should pay the most care to get enough of is lysine. Lysine can be found in abundance in legumes, quinoa and amaranth.
With many resources at your fingertips, it is easy to create delicious meals and convert old favorites into vegetarian fare. Wondering how you will ever live without cheese? Discover nut-based cheeses, such as almond or cashew. Many people enjoy plant-based cheese and Daiya seems to be the favorite on most blogs. There are vegan choices to replace eggs, mayo, sour cream and butter. You can easily find vegan and vegetarian breads, flours, pizza dough, pasta, cakes, cookies and pies. There is even wheat-based protein that replaces ground beef in many recipes. Field Roast has plant based, soy free roasts, sausages and burgers, if you need to rely on them for meal ideas. Beans, lentils and nuts are the best options for protein sources and are all you need to make limitless meals for yourself and your family.
The one premise to becoming a healthy vegan or vegetarian is to avoid falling into the trap of processed convenience foods and snacks. You can eat a 5-pound bag of sugar and still be a vegan, but I wouldn't recommend it. You can also eat Oreos, Doritos and popcorn all dsy long, but this does not constitute a healthy lifestyle. Instead, fill your plate with all of the colors of the rainbow using vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, and whole grains. The closer to nature a food is, the more nutritious it should be. If you can't stomach the foods listed above and have no intention to experiment with recipes to find new ways to enjoy them, then a vegetarian diet is probably not for you. It is too easy to fall into the trap of becoming a junk food vegetarian.
B-12
This essential vitamin can be obtained through nutritional yeast sprinkled into recipes or onto homemade kale chips and popcorn to ensure you have enough in your diet. You can also use oral drops or an oral dissolving supplement if you cannot work the yeast into your diet.
Protein
Whole wheat, quinoa, amaranth, oats, brown rice, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes are excellent protein sources. As mentioned previously, care should be taken to ensure adequate lysine intake. This may be accomplished by including 3 servings of any of the following:
½ cup cooked dried beans or lentils
½ cup tofu or tempeh 2-3 ounces soy-based veggie meat
1 cup soymilk (other plant milks are too low in protein
¼ cup peanuts
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup of quinoa
1 cup of amaranth
1/4 cup pistachios
1/2 cup of cashews
Calcium
- Leafy green vegetables are often rich in calcium, but some of them are also high in oxalates, compounds that bind calcium and reduce calcium absorption. High-oxalate vegetables include spinach, beet greens, and chard. Even though these foods contain calcium, you won’t absorb much of it, so they should not be considered sources of high calcium.
- Kale, mustard greens, turnip greens and broccoli are low in oxalates so calcium absorption from these foods very is good. Absorption rates vary from 50 to 65% for these cruciferous vegetables.
- Collard greens are a little bit higher in oxalates, but are also very rich in calcium and can be considered a good source of calcium.
- Beans, nuts and seeds provide moderate amounts of calcium that is absorbed at relatively low rates. Soaking nuts and seeds can improve calcium absorption.
- Calcium absorption from soybeans seems to be higher than from other beans. Calcium-set tofu—usually made with calcium sulfate—varies widely in its calcium content depending on how it is made. Its calcium is well-absorbed, though, at about 30%.
- Calcium absorption from fortified plant milk is similar to absorption from cow’s milk when the type of calcium added is calcium carbonate. It’s a little lower when tricalcium phosphate is used, but still good at about 25%. (Yes, you should shake the carton as directed since the calcium can settle to the bottom of the carton.)
- Calcium absorption from fortified fruit juices seems to be at least as good as from cow’s milk and probably better.
Simply put, you should easily meet your calcium needs if you consume at least 2 cups per day of foods that are rich in well-absorbed calcium. These include cooked Chinese cabbage, turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, calcium-set tofu, fortified plant milk and fortified juices.
Iron
Getting your daily iron requirements on a vegan diet is easy. Plant foods are among the richest sources of iron in the diet. For example, ½ cup of cooked lentils has nearly twice the iron as four ounces of beef.
- Include plenty of iron-rich foods like beans, soy foods, nuts, seeds, winter squashes, dark leafy green vegetables, dried fruits, oatmeal, quinoa and pearl barley in your diet.
- Enriched, refined grains can be very high in iron, but they are low in other nutrients and in fiber. Consider getting some of your grains as whole grain bread. The leavening process makes iron more absorbable.
- Include a good source of vitamin C in as many meals and healthy snacks as is possible and practical to increase iron absorption. Foods that are rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices, cantaloupe, kiwi fruit, mango, papaya, pineapple, strawberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, tomato juice, cabbage, cauliflower.
- If you like them, include non-GMO soy foods in your diet. The iron in soybeans is in a different form from other plant foods and is absorbed well.
- Avoid drinking tea, coffee or herbal teas with meals. Enjoy them between meals instead.
- Limit calcium supplements to small doses (300 mg) and take them between meals rather than with meals.
Use the Internet to search for vegan or vegetarian recipes and experiment with new twists on old favorites. Please post any comments, questions or new recipes you find particularly exciting. I have included one of my favorite recipes to get you started. I will also return to post additional recipes from time to time.
Tomato Lentil Soup
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 diced carrots
1/2 onion
2 celery stalks
1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic or 1
cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 tablespoon of oregano
1/2 tablespoon of basil
4 cups of water
1 cup of lentils
2 cans of salt-free diced tomatoes (chop one can in the food processor to break up the tomatoes and make a sauce)
1/2 cup sliced fresh spinach or
frozen chopped spinch
1/2 cup of sundried tomato pesto
(optional, but worth it)
Salt
Black pepper
Using a soup pot, cook the diced carrots, onion and celery until
the onions are clear.
Add garlic, oregano and basil and cook for 2 minutes.
Add 4 cups of water, washed lentils, 1 can of diced tomatoes,
the can of diced tomatoes that has been chopped in the food processor, and sundried tomato puree.
Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer covered for 1 hour.
Add chopped spinach. Add salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 3 minutes
until spinach is wilted.
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